Great British Bake Off star Matt Lucas left fans stunned by his dramatic weight loss when the show returned to TV screens this week. Many feared for his heath - but the show's host has now given the reason behind his decision to shed the pounds.
He told podcast host Gabby Logan the main reason was because he didn't want to die young like his dad and grandad. And he explained his method for ditching the weight was pretty simple - just cutting back on some of his favourite foods, according to Birmingham Live.
Speaking on The Mid Point podcast he told her: "I’m 48, my dad died when he was 52, very suddenly, his dad died I think at 56, so I was looking at the law of averages here.
"I was very big and I was getting bigger in the pandemic actually. Sort of not being very active, not really going out, not seeing people, just eating a lot of roast potatoes."
Matt, 48, said he had eaten a lot of one very common food - roast potatoes. And he said it had even reached the point where he spent time fashioning them into different shapes to give him "something to do."
The Bake Off star told the podcast: "I was so big I couldn’t really fit on screen anymore. I love them. Nothings changed I just don’t eat as many.
The thing is if you’re big, and by the way I’ve still got a proper tummy, I’m not skinny, by any means, I’ve just lost some weight. I’ve gone from maybe a double XXL, sometimes triple XXXL, down to a medium now I think. Although medium is sometimes big on me and sometimes it’s small on me."
He continued: "I do feel a bit better, I feel a bit relieved, because the thing is I don’t do any drugs and I don’t smoke and I hardly ever drink so it’s just the food really. But you know what, I just don’t eat as much, but I eat sweets still."
As well as cutting back on roast potatoes, Matt also said regular walks has helped him stay in shape: "I live not far from a canal and I love when the weather’s nice going for long walks by the canal either with a friend or on my own." But he added with a laugh: "I think I’m naturally predisposed to being horizontal. I just rather enjoy it."
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